Truth or Dare
by Neffa
Summary: When a group of friends plays a silly, innocent game of truth or dare, none of them expect anything to come of it. However, this game with change the very definition of friendship for Liam and Gemma. But for better, or for worse?


Gemma

"Home sweet home, yeah?" Liam said, smiling up at the giant hotel from behind the dark, tinted window of our limo. I guess I can't really say our limo, it's really their limo, I was just kind of along for the ride.

You see, I travel with a band called One Direction, who are quite famous. I've been best friends with one of the members, Liam, since we were born, which was obviously long before this whole fame thing. I'm typically about as recognized as they are, now, as I'm always around. I've been known to play guitar for them when they do acoustic songs, when they actually manage to drag me onstage. So not often. I'm also mistaken as Liam's girlfriend fairly often, so I've gotten quite a bit of hate over these past couple of years.

It had taken us a little over an hour to reach the hotel from the airport, this being the only one with a suite big enough for the bunch of us. There were a literal bunch of us. Eight, to be exact. The five guys and their birds, as they apparently call us. Louis and Harry were asleep on top of each other, with Lou drooling on Harry's shirt (which he'd surely appreciate when he wakes up…).

"Only for a few weeks," I laughed. We travel so much that staying anywhere for this long was practically a miracle. They were working on some singles for an acoustic album, so Liam often commented on how convenient it was to keep me around. I'm really not a part of the band, mind you. Since I sound like such a damned Mary Sue.

I noted the paparazzi outside and cringed. Even being with the band for this long couldn't get me used to them. They were terribly obnoxious. Liam smiled at me and offered his hand.

"Don't worry, fair lass, I shall protect you!" I laughed as he flexed his muscles, then laughed again as Zayn poked Harry in the side, which made him jump, which in turn made poor Lou fall off the bench. They both sat there looking dazed for a moment before Zayn announced that we ought to get out before the paps thought we were all doing something naughty in here. With an overdramatic eyeroll, he pulled Adrianna, his girlfriend of a little over six months, out of the limo and down to the hotel doors. We all piled out after them, Liam holding my hand the whole way.

Like I said, we'd been best friends since birth. How could I not fall for him?

…..

Liam

The guys and our birds (as we so fondly called them) were spread out all about the entertainment room, which was large enough to hold a few hundred people. They certainly weren't kidding when they called it the 'Popstar Suite'. The place was massive, and it included a full kitchen, four connecting bedrooms, with two beds each, and Nando's catering at any time. It was like Niall's dream come true.

Adrianna and Zayn were cuddled up on the loveseat, whispering softly to each other and laughing lightly. They were quite adorable, really. Zayn almost never dated seriously, so Adrianna was a big change for him. They were so similar, though, that they hit it off instantly. They met through Lou, she was a friend of his younger sister. It was a perfect match.

Niall, who was completely head over heels for Audrey, had backed the girl into a corner and was mercilessly tickling her. When she was in tears (of laughter), he stopped to let her catch her breath. Big mistake. She took the opportunity to tackle him to the ground and tickle him in revenge. They weren't together, but there was definitely a lot of flirting there.

Lou and Harry were doing their usual, munching on crisps and cracking jokes.

And then, finally, there was Gemma and I. She was lying on her back, head against my leg as I sat Indian-style on the floor in front of the couch. She was entranced by a book, long, chocolately hair splayed out everywhere, which I stroked absently, making her smile.

She was beautiful, no question about it. She had these eyes that sparkled when she spoke, deep and the loveliest of browns. I guess I'm a softy, but I noticed every little detail about her. Like how she had the longest eyelashes, and how her bottom lip was just a little bit plumper than the top. I loved her freckles, how they were light, almost unnoticeable, except for one that was a just a smidgen darker than the rest, right below her left eye. Or how her nose was just barely turned up, giving her a delicate, pixie like look.

I loved everything about her. I loved her laugh, that tinkling, bell like sound that was so musical I could get lost in it. She could sing, too, probably better than any of us, but you'd never catch her actually singing except in private. She read all the time, too, which made her intelligent, a quality that made her all the more attractive to me. She also wrote, but she never showed me any of it, so I never pressured her to.

Gemma was my best friend, and I was deeply in love with her.

…..

It was comfortable, for being three in the morning in the middle of winter. You know, for about ten minutes.

"Oi!" Lou suddenly shouted, shooting upright and making Harry tumble off the couch. Maybe revenge for earlier…? "I have an idea!"

He grinned wickedly, and I knew immediately that his idea was probably going to be a bad one. That tended to happen. He waggled his eyebrows in a way that was probably supposed to be seductive.

"Let's play a game." Oh god, it's like Saw, all over again.

"Like what?" I asked cautiously. Gemma set down her book and sat up, pulling her hair into a rubberband. I frowned, missing her warmth already.

"Truth or dare!" The whole room beamed at him. Gemma laughed her adorable laugh.

"I volunteer Audrey first!"

Audrey groaned, but agreed. "Truth! I'm starting easy."

"Alright, how many blokes have you kissed?" Gem asked sweetly, though I could tell she was grinning inside.

"Two," Audrey said, flushing bright pink. Lou laughed.

"And were either of them Niall?" Niall made a kissy face at her and she hid her face with her hands.

"Addy?" Audrey said finally, turning to Adrianna. "Truth of dare?"

"Truth please."

Audrey grinned evily. "Have you and Zayn done the naughty yet?"

"OH MY GOD AUDREY," Addy screamed, looking thunderstruck. Zayn choked, looking as though he might be having a heart attack. I laughed.

"Alright there, mate?"

"No!" Zayn yelled, just as Adrianna yelled "Yes!"

The room burst into giggles and smirks.

Adrianna looked menacingly at Lou, who she was clearly angry with for starting the game in the first place.

"Lou, dare, I presume?"

"Of course!"

"Harry, smootch, go."

Lou just laughed and grabbed Harry, before he could escape, planting a kiss square on him lips. Harry looked quite affronted at this and crossed his arms angrily.

"Liam? Truth? Dare?" Lou asked me then, still chuckling. I sighed, knowing exactly what my dare would be.

"Truth."

"Bah, you're boring." Lou said, and then Harry, still looking mad, yelled something out that I was not expecting.

"Are you in love with Gemma?" My jaw dropped. I pondered quickly, knowing I only had a few seconds to think.

I could say no, and risk any relationship with her, one that I definitely wanted, or I could say yes, and either risk our friendship, or have an amazing relationship with a girl that I loved. I glanced quickly at her. She was watching me with a careful, guarded expression. I decided to take the chance.

"Yes."

The room gasped as one. Except for her. She was looking down, an unreadable expression plastered across her face. Until suddenly, shaking her head, she stood up.

"Gem-" I started, but she cut me off.

"Don't." And she walked away. I kind of collapsed on the floor, until Niall grabbed me by the arm and hoisted me up.

"She'll come to you, mate. I promise."

…..

Gemma

I stared at the floor for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts, not really believing what I had heard. Shaking my head slowly, I stood up.

"Gem-" He started, eyes pleading desperately for me to stay, to say something. But I just couldn't. I needed to think.

"Don't." I cut him off, a little more roughly than I intended. Then I left.

The door made a satisfying click behind me. I didn't really know what to do. I turned to the mirror, staring intently at my reflection.

What could he possibly see in me? I was so bland. Brown eyes, brown hair. That one weird freckle below my eye. I was nothing special. My personality was just as dull and ugly as my face. I read too much, laughed at inappropriate times, and made corny jokes.

Liam? Well he's pretty much perfect in every way. He's so bloody talent, not to mention beautiful, inside and out. I was nothing next to him. How I even managed to keep him as a friend was beyond me.

A knocking at the door interrupted my thoughts.

"Gemma?" That Irish accent, only two people I knew had it – one was Audrey and the other was Niall. This one was very clearly male, so I was assuming it was the latter, unless Audrey had suddenly become a man. Which I kind of doubted. "Can I come in, please?"

"Sure." I said with a sniffle, only realizing now that I had been crying.

"Hey, don't cry." Niall said softly, making me smile. "Why are you so upset?"

"What can he possibly see in me, Niall? What can anyone see in me? Because I certainly can't find it."

"Do I have to sing What Makes You Beautiful to you, girl? Honestly," He said. I just frowned. He sighed.

"You really don't give yourself much credit, do you? There's a lot, Gem. And it's not just him, either. Everyone adores you, so why don't you see that? There's not much negative to be found in you anywhere, you know. Besides, you've been best friends for so long, how could he not fall for you? And I know you feel the same way about him. So don't even try to deny it."

I smiled a bit at him. "Of course I do. He's daft to think I don't. I just… don't feel like I deserve him, as pathetic as that sounds. But anyway, what am I supposed to do about it? I can't just waltz in there and declare my love for him."

Niall chuckled. "You're right, you can't. He's shut himself away in my room, anyway. You could just go talk to him."

"I guess I could. I as good as rejected him, though. I'm not so sure of what he'll do, or if he even wants to see me."

"If he loves you as much as I think he does, he'll listen."

"And if he doesn't?"

Niall shrugged and walked to the door. "Then he doesn't deserve you."

…..

Liam

I almost didn't answer the door when she knocked, let alone open the door. I kind of just wanted to go to sleep and pretend this whole mess never happened. Too bad my bed was in the same room as Gemma's.

"Liam?" I heard her sniffle. She'd been crying. "Please, Liam, I just want to talk."

'Just want to talk' never led to anything good. I cringed. Rejection hit hard. I could feel myself going into defense mode, which was bad, I knew I'd do something stupid. I just couldn't help it. I wasn't going to sit there and let myself get hurt. So I decided to make light of the whole situation.

I opened the door and just looked at her. Her eyes were a bit pink from crying, her lips pouty. I frowned. She started to say something but I cut her off.

"Gemma look. I know what I said, but…" I broke off for a quick second, formulating my thoughts into something coherent to say. She looked at me strangely, an expression that I couldn't quite read. Was that fear in her eyes? Regret? "Honestly, I think I was just speaking impulsively and we should just pretend this never happened, okay? Just be friends."

She wouldn't meet my eyes after that. I knew immediately I had made the wrong choice, but I was just too damn stubborn to take it back.

"Is that what you want?" She said, so softly I almost didn't hear.

"Yeah. That's what I want."

"Alright." She said, still looking down. Then, for the second time that night, she walked away from me.

I was alone.

…..

The next two weeks were rough, what with my two best friends barely speaking to me. With three upcoming shows and a meet and greet, it was chaos.

Niall was furious with me, and Gemma… well she just seemed down. Almost depressed. She wouldn't show it when I was around, but I would catch her frowning when her guard was down. It really took a toll on me.

Finally I got tired of it and locked Niall in a dressing room until he agreed to speak with me about it.

"What the hell is your issue?" He demanded.

"My issue? What's yours? You're supposed to be on my side!"

"Firse, there are no sides in this battle, mate. And second, even if there were, I wouldn't be, not when you're being a complete sodding idiot!"

I stared at him in confusion. Not to mention, his accent got about ten times stronger when he was angry.

"Gemma?" He said, then rolled his eyes. "You told her you just wanted to be friends, yeah? You and I both know that's not what you really want, and neither does she."

"She…" I began, but then mentally slapped myself and stopped.

"No, idiot, she was going to tell you how she felt, not reject you."

"How exactly does she feel, then?"

"Ask her that yourself, mate." He turned and started to walk away, but not before shouting 'fix it!' over his shoulder.

…..

Gemma

"Hey," I heard his voice, and whipped around, setting my book down and staring at him.

"Hey."

"Can I come in?"

"Of course. It's your room too, you know." We were still doing this damn 'pretending it never happened' thing, after all.

"Gemma… I'm so sorry about what I said. I lied and –"

"You lied?" I asked quietly. "About what, Liam? About being in love with me? Because that's a pretty shitty way to mess with a person, you know."

"No! God no. I lied about just wanting to be friends."

"What exactly do you want from me, Liam? Because right now you're confusing the hell out of me." I said, staring at him still.

"I want to know how you feel." He whispered, taking a step toward me. "How you feel about me. Us."

"There is no us, is there? We're just friends, remember? What is there to feel?"

"That was only part of the question." He said, smiling grimly.

"I love you. I'm in love with you." It was the only thing I could think of to say. "I want there to be an 'us', not just a 'Liam and Gemma, best friends, nothing more. I want there to be more. Only, you seem to not."

Liam smiled, this time, a genuine, relieved, and half regretful smile.

"Gemma. I love you. I have for years. And I lied, I want there to be that 'us' you mentioned. I really do. I'm so sorry for telling you the things that I said." Then he did something I'd wanted him to do for years. He pulled me close to him, so close that I could feel the warmth of his body, and he kissed me, the sweetest, softest kiss that I'd ever had.

"Be mine." He whispered in my ear. I smiled up at him.

"Of course."

xxx


End file.
